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What stands between you and achieving your fitness and nutrition goals?

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself that question?

You hit your 30’s and you know 40 is going to be next. You have this big plan of getting in the best shape of your life. You are ready to take the challenge and get rid of that belly that is hanging over those jeans. You realize your suit is becoming a little tighter for the wrong reason. Running around with the kids is getting a little more challenging and you are out of breath. Keeping up with the guys on the court or field is taking it out of you more than usual.

You know you have been thinking for quite some time that you need to shake things up and get back into the gym.

Then you start thinking where do I start? What do I do? What’s holding me back?

In other words, what are the limiting factors that are holding you back?

Limiting factors are anything that makes it difficult for you to achieve your desired results.

There are many limiting factors out there like:

Lack of time

Work/family commitments

Procrastination

Past injury/present injury

And more….

I could go on, but to be honest, those are all EXCUSES!

Let’s not pretend, but instead take control of your fitness and nutrition to live a healthier lifestyle.

Over the years of working hands on with people and recently online coaching, the 3 main limiting factors that are holding you back from looking, feeling and performing at your best are:

MINDSET

You played sport back in the day, you have an idea of what to eat, you know what you want to look like, but all this has to be translated into massive action and creating sustainable habits as you move along.

When it comes to getting in the best shape of your life, or any other aspect of life, you have to have a clear vision of what it looks like to you. Some sort of a plan to get to where you want to go. In other words direction!

I learnt this strategy when I attended Tony Robbins, Unleash The Power Within seminar and then further enhanced at BB3 Fitness & Nutrition Center where I worked.

It’s called RPM.

R – What RESULTS do you want to achieve? What’s your desired outcome? Be as precise as you can with this. Don’t be afraid to dream big with this. This is your life for you to be your ultimate best so don’t hold back on what that is for you.

P – What’s your PURPOSE for wanting that specific result? Why do you want to achieve that result? How is it going to make a difference to you and the people around you? These are really important questions, so take time to answer them.

M – Massive Action Plan. This is your map that you are going to follow to get from point A to point B. It like going on a road trip and you plan the direction you are taking. Start thinking how many days per week you going to workout. What are those days and times you are going to train? How much water do I need to drink? What workouts you are going to do. How am I going to structure and prepare my meals?

Once done, you are going to have a blueprint of what needs to be done, to get you in better shape and progressing. Visualize the outcome. Visualize yourself doing the work. Visualize eating for optimal health. Visualize the process and you getting there on a daily basis.

NUTRITION

Good nutrition is going to get you to look, feel and perform at your best. Whether you want to lose fat, build muscle, live a healthier lifestyle or even improve sports performance, your nutrition is going to have a major impact on all these factors.

If you don’t eat healthy, wholesome nutritious foods, you are going to feel crappy. Your energy isn’t going to be optimal throughout the day. It’s going to hold you back from be your ULTIMATE best!

Nutrition is a major limiting factor!

Start by making simple changes and creating better habits with your eating.

Increase the amount of water you drink and decrease the amount of soda, juices and sports drinks you consume.

Increase lean protein sources at each meal.

Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat daily.

These are 3 simple habits that can be incorporated today that can make a difference to your health and you moving towards your goals.

The limiting factor with exercise is if you are not moving enough, chances are you are slowly going to get some love handles. Not what any guy wants in his 30’s or 40’s.

If your lifestyle is wake up early, grab something on the run to work, lunch meeting, grab something from the vending machine to keep you going in the evening, then get home to a massive meal, sit down and fall asleep in front the TV, trust me when I say, you are adding on the pounds slowly but surely.

You got to get moving!

To become fitter, be stronger, live a healthier lifestyle, you need to commit to becoming more active by focused, consistent, intense exercise.

Aim to strength train at least 3 times per week and cardio 2-3 times per week, depending on your time commitments. If you lack time, we all have 20 minutes that we can commit to working out. Keep the intensity high and give it your all for those 20 minutes.

Focused exercise, increasing physical activity (increasing the amount of steps you take each day), and healthy eating control, will produce long-term results.

In concluding, these 3 limiting factors don’t have to hold you back from looking, feeling and performing at your best. You can overcome these obstacles by having a clear plan of action with your mindset, creating simple nutritional habits and building from there and focused intense exercise.

All that you need is within you, to unleash your potential to be your ultimate best, to look, feel and perform at your greatest on a daily basis.

Get out there and take ACTION to becoming the best version of yourself!

I had the opportunity to walk on fire and broken glass a few years ago. On both occasions, it was very nerve racking for me, with the walking on glass a little scary.

I watched a few other people walk on the glass before me, and all I could hear is the breaking of glass with each step that was taken.

Some of the pieces of glass were sharp. If you stepped on it you could potentially cut your foot.

Some of the pieces shifted as you placed your weight on it.

Some of the pieces broke under your foot.

With every step that is taken, you are getting feedback on the path you are on. With this feedback you are receiving, you can correct the path you step on.

If you stepped on the glass and felt a sharp pain from the glass, did you fail?

NO you certainly didn’t!

You got valuable information on what your next step should be – to shift your weight or step in another place.

You got FEEDBACK!

The feedback you have received is just information for you to make a decision.

When you walk on broken glass, you get feedback. That physical sensation you feel under your foot – sharp, painful, or uneven surface – guides you on what you should do next.

Same as when you are at the gym or on the sand at the beach. You have to constantly adjust to the feedback you are receiving. If you are on unstable surface or standing on one leg, you have to adjust to get your balance back, which means taking action to correct that.

Same with your eating habits. If you notice some red flags with something that you have eaten, that makes you feel bloated, or low on energy or not your best, that’s just feedback you are receiving.

Over time as you get to know yourself better, you build a database of feedback.

This is very important information you are receiving, as you will probably learn which foods trigger those not so good feelings.

It is all valuable information.

What you do with this information is very important also.

If you eat those extra hot, chili BBQ wings, dipped in more sauce, and feel crappy after, that is just feedback for you on what NOT to do next time.

If you decide to ignore the feedback you are receiving, you will continue to feel the way you are feeling.

You will make mistakes along the journey, but that does not mean you have failed.

You will make choices that did not work, but that does not mean you have failed.

What you have gained is valuable information of what does not work for you.

What to do next?

Keep a journal and log all that you eat.

Write how you feel just when you finish eating and also 30-60mins after you have done eating.

Make a note of any foods that trigger that crappy feeling.

Avoid eating those foods that make you feel crappy.

Be your own science experiment. You will learn so much about yourself.

Remember it is all information you are receiving. You now have to analyze that information to make better choices.

There is no “good” or “bad” choices, just better choices.

You are not failing, you are learning a better way to accomplish your desired outcome with your health and fitness.

Over the 15 plus years I have been in the fitness industry world, I have tried many different aspects of training and nutrition protocols, to see what works best for myself and clients I have worked alongside.

Some things worked better than others, and some got better results than others. In other words…what worked for one person didn’t necessarily work for the other and vice versa.

I used myself as a science project over the years as well. I found that with some of the things I tested out, I never really felt 100%, and that some aspect was missing.

I would push myself to the limits, feel depleted after workouts, and thought at the time I was ‘killin’ my training.

I tried high carb, low carb, no carb eating….never felt 100%.

I did vegan for 6 months and didn’t feel great.

I tried HIIT workouts which got me results, but drained me at times.

I tried 6, 8, 9 and 12 week programs that mainly focused on building muscle. Got some results but couldn’t sustain it for longer than the time period.

I played with around my nutrition on each of these training protocols, but never felt like I could sustain it long term or for a lifetime.

And I tried many other things….

As I got older and I must say a little more mature, I started listening to my body a little and really taking notice of what others were doing that I respected in the industry.

I also open my mind to other modalities of training, not just the lifting of heavy stuff.

I was missing out on a huge part of my training which was the recovery side of things. I found more balance in my training.

As the years went on, I added another component to my training which was yoga.

It was like a whole new world for me and finally I was enjoying training in a whole new way. I was starting to feel more energized and recovering better. I was even lifting less often but with a more focused attention to detail.

With my new found knowledge I started to put together the pieces from my own experiences and learning from others. This is when I came up with a 360 degree approach to health, wellness and vitality.

The GD360 Approach has a balanced methodology that focuses on 6 components on wheel:

MINDSET: It all starts here with the mind, as what you focus on you achieve. You have to know what you want, why you want it, and a massive plan of action to go after it. You have to have clarity with you goal to achieve it and take massive action on a daily basis to achieve the desired outcome.

NUTRITION: Nutrition plays a massive part in every aspect of your life as what you eat has an effect on how you function on a daily basis. Consuming healthy, wholesome, nutritious food, will provide you with the fuel your body needs for your daily actions.

RESISTANCE TRAINING: You have to challenge the body in some way for it to grow, by using various training tools or your own body weight. Resistance training builds strength, power and muscular endurance depending on your goals, for you to feel strong and powerful, reduce the risk of injuries and improve health.

CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING: this is a very important component to improve cardiovascular fitness, using various heart rate intensities, depending on the goal.

RECOVERY: This comes in may different forms, from stretching, foam rolling, trigger point therapy, to ice baths, steam rooms, sauna, jacuzzi, to massages, sleep, nutrition, lower intensity workouts for some.

RE-ENERGIZE/REVITALIZE: Here is where we do things we enjoy, like dancing, surfing, paddle boarding, or any fun thing that you enjoy doing. In this approach you can also do things like various types of yoga, tai chi, breathing exercises, meditation, use of essential oils, pretty much anything to de-stress the body.

As you can see, this is a well rounded approach to your Health, Wellness and Vitality. With this approach, I have been able to find balance in my week with my health and fitness, but more importantly sustain it and enjoy it as I get older.

How can you apply the GD360 Approach to your daily routines, to become 1% better?

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About Gavin

Gavin De Souza is a Certified Precision Nutrition Coach and Fitness Professional.

He has worked in several training facilities in the UK and US, specializing in Personal Training, Nutrition, Body Transformation, as well as Youth Fitness Development and Sport Specific preparation.

Gavin has been involved in the Fitness Industry since 2002.

In addition, Gavin focuses on helping to serve, mentor, inspire, lead and empower busy, successful, professionals, to find balance in their lives, so that they can unleash their true potential, to LOOK, FEEL and PERFORM at their ultimate best in sport and life.